Set against a vibrant background reminiscent of a medieval European town, the Atelier series’ latest standalone installment follows the exploits of a young novice Alchemist, Sophie, who discovers she is the owner of an enigmatic book imbued with a soul.This Mysterious Book seems to hold all the secrets to the art of Alchemy knowledge and it goes on to become Sophie’s mentor. As Sophie improves her Alchemy skills throughout the story she unravels forgotten memories, and eventually sets out to uncover the strange tale of the book’s origin.
The development team at GUST consider this title ‘the new standard for the Atelier series’ as they have poured all their creativity into rebuilding the series’ signature Alchemy system from the ground up and into crafting a visually stunning world full of well-rounded characters and beautiful illustrations. In a series first, there are two key illustrators involved in the making of Atelier Sophie, NOCO and Yuugen. Their distinctive work brings the in-game world to life and creates a dynamic environment where time, weather, and relationships play a key role in the adventures of the young new Alchemist and her trusted allies.
In Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book, the player must always be aware of two elements that greatly affect successful mission completions and material harvesting: Time and Weather. The time of day and the weather conditions should be carefully considered before heading out to a mission, as some monsters will only show themselves if the time and weather are favorable. Similarly, some necessary materials can only be harvested in specific times and weather conditions. Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book also introduces a fatigue-based Life Point system, which can weaken attacks when a character has spent too long adventuring, gathering materials, and/or fighting without resting (returning to the atelier). These two new elements add to the challenging nature of this beautiful RPG and are indicative of the reimagined gameplay system of the Atelier universe!
Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book offers one of two different bonus DLC packs to players who pre-order the game from select retailers. Players who pre-order the PlayStation®4 version from Amazon, GameStop, or EB Canada will receive a DLC pack including alternate background music, the Doll Making ‘Aqua Suit’ costume, a five-piece set of useful materials and items to be used in synthesis and a theme. Those who pre-order from Best Buy will receive an in-game alternate background music pack, as well as two Atelier Sophie themes for their PS4™ system.
Finally, those who purchase either the digital PS4 or Vita versions from the PlayStation®Store during its first month of release will receive two Atelier Sophie themes, as well as an in-game bundle of useful items boosting their attack (uni bag), Hit Points (sweets), or Mental Points (sotea) that can be used on their adventures.
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